OVERFISHING IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM

The world's fishing fleet is currently 2.5 times larger than what the oceans can sustainably support.

The world's wild capture fisheries have reached their maximum potential. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 80% of the world's main fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion (Figure 1). Exploitation is by far the main threat to the survival of several important commercial fish populations and the lead cause in the extinction of marine fish species (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Status of World Fish Stocks
(Source: FAO, 2008)

One billion people rely on fish as an important source of protein. We live in a world that wants more and more seafood, making overfishing and the associated environmental impact one of the most important environmental challenges we face. This strong market demand, coupled with poor governance, leads to unsustainable fisheries that become rapidly depleted, endangering the future of many fish species.

Figure 2: Main causes of local, regional and global marine fish extinctions
(Source: adapted from Reynolds et al., 2005. Data from Dulvy et al., 2003, n = 65 species)